The Iraq war in a nutshell - misrepresented, mismanaged

Friday

Jul 27, 2007 at 12:01 AMJul 27, 2007 at 7:07 AM

Carl Hiaasen

From the Better-Late-Than-Never-Department:
The Pentagon has asked Congress for $1.2 billion to expedite the production of 3,900 specially armored trucks for the troops in Iraq.
Lawmakers are expected to approve the funding even as they try to pressure President Bush to set a schedule for withdrawing U.S. ground forces. The mine-resistant transport vehicles cost $1 million each and, with any luck, some might actually be delivered before the fighting is over.
This is the story of the war in a nutshell - misbegotten, misrepresented and mismanaged.
Stoned on his own delusions, the president still talks of installing a functioning democracy in a country throttled by civil war and aflame with ancient religious grievances.
Newly doubt-ridden Republicans in Congress speechify about a "new direction," but do nothing. Democrats call for a staged withdrawal, but can't muster the votes to make it happen.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government remains paralyzed and rudderless. Car bombs continue to explode in open markets, killing and maiming innocents by the score. The Shiites and Sunnis keep on kidnapping, torturing and executing each other.
And American soldiers, caught in the middle, keep on dying. The total now surpasses 3,600, with roadside bombs being the leading cause of death.
Among those killed in action last week were Navy Chief Petty Officer Patrick L. Wade, 38, from Key West, Fla., and Navy Petty Officer First Class Jeffrey L. Chaney, 35, from Omaha, Neb. They were members of an explosives disposal team.
Others who lost their lives were Specialist Eric M. Holke of the California Army National Guard, Marine Cpl. Shawn Starkovich from Arlington, Wash., and Sgt. John R. Massey from the Arkansas Army National Guard.
Almost six years after the 9/11 attacks, it's plainer than ever that Bush's decision to invade Iraq was the best thing that ever happened to the jihadist movement.
According to the latest National Intelligence Estimate, compiled by U.S. spy agencies, the threat of future terrorist plots against this country has grown worse, partly because Islamic extremists worldwide have been galvanized by the U.S. presence in Iraq.
As for the "war on terror," the report offers almost nothing that would justify the president's robotic pronouncements of progress.
Far from being dismantled, al-Qaida now has its first-ever foothold in Iraq, thanks to the chaos and rancor created by the U.S. occupation.
After years at the top of the world's most-wanted list, al-Qaida's two pre-eminent murderers, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri, are still alive and directing operations from mountain hideouts along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
On the Afghanistan side, the ruthless Taliban are making a huge comeback, financed by the same booming opium harvest that is juicing the world's appetite for heroin.
Next door, the government of Pakistan, though nominally cooperative with the United States, has forfeited control of large territories to tribal lords, some of whom are known to be sympathetic to al-Qaida.
In sum, the news is grim and getting grimmer. You didn't need to be Nostradamus to see it coming.
The president started an unwinnable war against a nation that had absolutely no role in the heinous acts of 9/11. The invasion was one of the most arrogant and costly blunders in the history of U.S. foreign relations, empowering our enemies beyond their wildest hopes.
And now we're stuck, with no good options for getting out.
If U.S. troops leave Iraq, the civil war will surely get bloodier. Al-Qaida fighters will claim victory and also a safe outpost, at least until the Iraqis turn on them.
And if U.S. troops stay in place, the violence will grind on, as it is now, with the Americans a handy target for militants on all sides.
As the civilian death toll rises, the idea of splitting Iraq into sectarian nation-states doesn't seem so farfetched. Unfortunately, Bush shows no interest in pursuing any diplomatic solutions; with his eyes wide shut, he keeps waiting for the magic of instant democracy.
He'll still be waiting 18 months from now, cruising around on his riding mower back in Texas while a new president struggles to extract the country from this wretched, unsolvable mess.
Most Americans want a timetable set today, but the only certain date of change is Jan. 20, 2009, when Bush, Cheney and the other bunglers finally depart.
Whether the troops return home all at once or in waves, a pullout from Iraq is inevitable. The way back will be long and treacherous, and we should pray that those armor-plated trucks arrive in time to carry at least some of our soldiers out safely.
Carl Hiaasen writes for the Miami Herald.

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